Among-family variations of direct measurement values for chemical and pulp properties in 4-year-old Eucalyptus camaldulensis half-sib families in Thailand

Abstract Amounts of wood chemical components (organic solvent extracts, Klason lignin, and holocellulose) and kraft pulp characteristics (yield and kappa number) were directly determined for 32 trees from eight half-sib Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. families in second generation of elite trees selected in Thailand. The mean values of all trees were 1.4 % for organic solvent extracts, 21.3 % for Klason lignin, 86.1 % for holocellulose, 44.4 % for kraft pulp yield, and 7.2 for kappa number, respectively. While repeatability values of growth traits and basic density were moderate to high (0.18 to 0.51), those in wood chemical components and kraft pulp characteristics showed quite low values (less than 0.10). No correlation coefficients were found between measured traits, except between stem diameter and tree height. Thus, it is concluded that selection of E. camaldulensis families with superior growth traits is suitable for production of raw material of pulp and paper in respect to quantity and quality of wood.